John Castleberry

Retired Scout. Current CCBL Commissioner. Everyday is a new experience. My opinions are my own & in no way represent any organization or group.

[Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum 🇨🇦⚾️ @CDNBaseballHOF]

"It's our birthday! #Onthisday in 1998 the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum officially opened its doors in its new location in St. Marys, ON.

We've been here ever since, and have grown to include 4 premium ball diamonds, as well as a beautiful expansion which was added on in 2018.

And don't worry if you forgot to get us a present, your presence is present enough!

Stop by for a tour next time you're in the area! 🥳
#OTD #birthdaycelebration #canadianbaseball

[Hyannis Harbor Hawks @harborhawks]

Bringing on the 2026 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, Blake Primrose! Welcome to Hyannis!

The sophomore catcher from Saint Joseph’s slugged .859 with 24 homers, 18 doubles and 72 RBIs this spring. He hit .393 and worked his way on base for a .506 OBP. Primrose was also a A10 All-Rookie Team selection in 2025

[Kevin Glew @coopincanada]

#OTD 24 years ago, the Baltimore Orioles selected Adam Loewen (Surrey, B.C.) with the fourth overall pick in the MLB draft.

That remains the highest that a player born in Canada has been selected.

Five picks later, the Colorado Rockies chose Jeff Francis (North Delta, B.C.).

[ESPN @espn]

Breaking: Russell Wilson has officially retired from the NFL after 14 seasons, he announced on social media.

[East Coast Pro @EastCoastPro1]

Talk the talk. Walk the walk. Play the game.

Bringing together top talent to compete at the highest level.

July 31 – August 3.

#EastCoastPro #ECPBaseball

[Brian O’Leary @BrianDOLeary]

@AndyStaples @Zigmanfreud

[SportsCenter @SportsCenter]

A third-round pick. A Super Bowl champion. A generation of highlights.

Russell Wilson has announced his retirement 👏

[Kevin Glew @coopincanada]

#OTD Four years ago, after starting the season 22-29, the Philadelphia Phillies fired manager Joe Girardi and replaced him with Rob Thomson (Corunna, Ont.).

Thomson became the first full-time 🇨🇦 MLB manager since George Gibson (London, Ont.) with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1934.

[Clemson Baseball @ClemsonBaseball]

#TBT - The same week that he was named national player-of-the-year by @BaseballAmerica, @KrisBenson34 was drafted No. 1️⃣ overall by the @Pirates on June 4, 1996, 30 years ago today. @MLB

On that same day, #Clemson defeated Alabama 14-13 in the College World Series.

[Kevin Glew @coopincanada]

#OTD 24 years ago, the Cincinnati Reds selected a promising young catcher named Joey Votto (Etobicoke, Ont.) with their second round pick (44th overall) in the MLB draft.

Yes, Votto was drafted as a catcher. See 2002 Bowman card back below.

[Baseball Is Dead @baseballisdead_]

17 years ago, Randy Johnson became the very last pitcher to cross the 300 win threshold with 6 innings of 1-run ball (0 ER) against the Nationals.

Hard to imagine another pitcher ever doing it. Johnson accomplished the feat at 45.

[Alison Mastrangelo @AlisonWSB]

Eight hours before first pitch Austin Riley and Dylan Lee took some time to hang out and provide lunch to service members at Dobbins Air Reserve Base. #BravesCountry #mlb

[Cincinnati Reds @Reds]

June 4, 2002: The Reds select catcher Joey Votto out of Richview Collegiate Institute in Toronto with the 44th overall pick in the MLB Draft. #RedsVault

[MLB @MLB]

This at-bat against Jennie Finch shows just how hard it is to hit an elite softball pitcher

Albert Pujols had 703 career home runs and didn't make contact 😳

[Brian @CubsCreator]

Best one they have ever made

[Tom Sileo @TSileo]

Very proud of our 6-year-old daughter Natalie, who has Trisomy 21, a.k.a. Down Syndrome. Is it sometimes tough raising a child with special needs? Of course, but the world is a kinder, gentler & happier place because of people like Nat. We love her! #NATitude

[Baseball In Pics @baseballinpix]

Baseball game during the Mount St. Helens volcano eruption, 1980. The game was stopped in the 4th inning due to ash fall.

[Mr PitBull Stories @MrPitbull07]

Her name was Betty Ong.

And for 23 minutes on September 11, 2001, she became the calmest voice in America.

Betty was 45 years old.
A flight attendant from San Francisco.
Known to coworkers simply as “Bee.”

That morning, she was working aboard American Airlines Flight 11 from Boston to Los Angeles.

She had picked up the trip because she planned to continue home to San Francisco afterward and then fly to Hawaii for a vacation with her sister.

At 7:59 a.m., the plane took off.

Twenty minutes later, Betty picked up a phone at the back of the aircraft and called American Airlines operations.

The reservations agent who answered heard a calm voice say:

“I think we’re getting hijacked.”

Nobody had ever made a call like that before.

Betty stayed on the line for the next 23 minutes.

While chaos unfolded around her, she remained composed and methodical.

She reported that the cockpit wasn’t responding.
That flight attendants had been stabbed.
That passengers were struggling to breathe after something resembling Mace had been sprayed.

She even gave seat numbers for the suspected hijackers.

Everything she observed was passed from American Airlines to the FAA and air traffic control in real time.

Her call helped authorities understand something horrifying:

This wasn’t an accident.

This was coordinated.

This was an attack.

People later falsely described Betty as hysterical during the call.

The woman who spoke with her directly said the opposite was true.

“She was calm, professional, and poised.”

Betty never stopped doing her job.

Even in the final minutes of her life.

At 8:46 a.m., Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

The line suddenly went silent.

The agent on the other end waited a moment and quietly asked:

“Betty… are you there?”

No answer came back.

Months later, Betty’s family fought to obtain the recording of her final call.

When they finally heard it, her brother explained something that stayed with many people afterward:

Betty never called home.

Not because she didn’t love her family.

Because in that moment, she believed her responsibility was to the passengers and crew around her.

That’s who she was.

Today, Betty Ong’s name is memorialized at Ground Zero and throughout San Francisco’s Chinatown.

But what makes her unforgettable isn’t only the tragedy.

It’s the extraordinary calm she showed while facing unimaginable fear.

She was heading to Hawaii.

Instead, she picked up a phone and helped the world understand what was happening while there was still time to warn others.

That is what courage sometimes looks like.

Not loud.
Not dramatic.

Just a steady voice doing its job until the very end.

[Jim Koenigsberger @Jimfrombaseball]

When Don Zimmer passed away, it was revealed that Pedro Martinez had tried to apologize to Zimmer the next day, and Zimmer said:
"Don’t, it was all my fault."

[Augie Nash @AugieNash]

Man do I miss this legend.

"Foul ball! Oh and it lands right in that lady’s bush… (long pause)… And by Busch, of course, I’m referring to her ice cold beer. That sounds pretty good right about now" - Mike Shannon